SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
A Texas nurse was convicted Tuesday of capital murder in the deaths of four patients who died after prosecutors say he injected them with air following heart surgeries.
The Smith County jury deliberated for about an hour before finding William George Davis, of Hallsville, guilty of capital murder involving multiple victims. Prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty during the sentencing phase, which was scheduled to start Wednesday.
Davis, 37, was accused of injecting air into the four patients arteries after they underwent heart surgery at the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler in 2017 and 2018. During recovery from their surgeries, the four -- John Lafferty, Ronald Clark, Christopher Greenway and Joseph Kalina -- suffered unexplained neurological problems and died.
During the trial, Dr. William Yarbrough, a Dallas-area pulmonologist and professor of internal medicine, explained to the jury how injecting air into the arterial system of the brain causes brain injury and death.
Yarbrough said he was able to determine there was air in the arterial system of the victims brains by viewing images from brain scans -- something he said he had never before observed in his decades in medicine.
He ruled out blood pressure problems or any other causes of death besides the injection of air, and said it must have happened after the surgeries because the complications occurred while the patients were in recovery.
Defense attorney Phillip Hayes told the jury that the hospital had issues and that Davis was a scapegoat who was only charged because he was there when the deaths occurred.
Prosecutor Chris Gatewood said during closing arguments that Davis liked to kill people. And prosecutor Jacob Putman said the hospital hadnt changed any of its procedures and hadnt had any similar incidents since Davis left.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
3 am |
| 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SE 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 44 KM/H |
|
|
|
4 am |
| 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SE 16 KM/H
GUSTING TO 39 KM/H |
|
|
|
5 am |
| 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SSE 13 KM/H
GUSTING TO 26 KM/H |
|
|
 |
6 am |
| 17 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SSE 12 KM/H
GUSTING TO 16 KM/H |
|
|
|
7 am |
| 19 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SE 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 14 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 am |
| 22 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 11 KM/H |
|
|
|
9 am |
| 25 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 8 KM/H |
|
|
|
10 am |
| 27 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: SSE 9 KM/H
GUSTING TO 6 KM/H |
|
|
|
|
TODAY |
HIGH OF 35 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 31 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
 |
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 20 ℃
LOW OF 10 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 23 ℃
LOW OF 8 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 25 ℃
LOW OF 13 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
|
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 21 ℃
LOW OF 10 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 23 ℃
LOW OF 11 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 23 ℃
LOW OF 13 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
BLAKE SHELTON
SANGRIA
03:10 AM |
|
 |
CODY HIBBARD
BEND
03:06 AM |
|
 |
CHASE RICE
I HATE COWBOYS
03:02 AM |
|
 |
BROTHERS OSBORNE
SHOOT FROM THE HIP
02:58 AM |
|
 |
THOMAS RHETT
DANCE WITH YOU
02:55 AM |
|
 |
DYLAN MARLOWE
YOU SEE MINE
02:52 AM |
|
 |
BRIAN KELLEY
TEAL
02:49 AM |
|
 |
BRANTLEY GILBERT
GONE BY NOW
02:43 AM |
|
 |
HARDY
SCREEN
02:39 AM |
|
|
CODY HIBBARD
SET IN MY RUTS
02:37 AM |
|
 
 |
